Bees help find why we get a buzz from alcohol

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The honey bee, long considered the world's most important
insect, is now helping scientists discover how alcohol affects the
brain.

The study is part of long-term research into whether alcohol
increases aggressive behaviour in humans.

Scientists at Ohio State University fed honey bees different
amounts of alcohol and watched how long they spent walking, flying,
grooming or just lying on their backs.

They also measured the level of alcohol in the bees' haemolyph -
the equivalent of blood. Not surprising, the more the bees drank,
the less they moved around.

Julie Mustard, the entomologist leading the research, said that,
at the molecular level, bees' brains worked in the same way as
those of humans.

"Knowing how chronic alcohol use affects genes and
proteins in the honey bee brain may help us eventually understand
how alcoholism affects memory and behaviour in humans, as well as
the molecular basis of addiction," Ms Mustard said.